Foot control for motor cars



Feb. 11, 1930. H. J. RIES FOOT CONTROL FOR MOTOR CARS Filed May 1, 1929 z I I 779 Qarbureir In. E

R o T N E V m WITNESSES ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES urea HENRY J. RIES, OF IOWA CITY, IOWA FOOT CONTROL FOR MOTOR CARS Application filed May 1, 1929. Serial No. 359,673.

This invention relates to improvements in controls for motor cars and it consists of the constructions, combinations, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a control which can be adjusted by the foot to a given point in a range of settings for the throttle valve of the carbureter, then left at that point after being released by the foot 1 so that the speed of the car will be substantially held at the desired rate.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which: 7 Figure l is a perspective view of the improved foot control,

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the cam.

As above indicated in the foregoing brief statement of the objects of the invention, the fundamental purpose is to make it possible to set the throttle valve at a'given point and leave it there so that a substantially uniform rate of speed of the motor car will be maintained without further attention from the operator. As is commonly known, the prevailing practice is to control the motor car from an accelerator pedal. It is practically impossible to bear down upon the pedal with a uniform pressure so as to hold the pedal at agiven point. p

The operator may be able to maintain an approximate speed but this will very easily vary within five miles or more per hour above or below the desired speed. These variations are partly due to the motion of the car which cause the operators foot to shift in respect to the accelerator pedal. But they are due in a large measure to the muscular fatigue that emphasizes itself especially on a long drive. Reverting to the invention, the purpose in mind is to enablethe setting of the throttle valve to a given point then leave it until a change in speed is desired, and in the meanwhile make it possible for the operator to give his attention to things other than the boards of the motor car at an appropriate distance from the accelerator treadle 2. This element might be the more familiar pivoted pedal, but in either case this element is connected with linkage 3 that terminates at the throttle or butterfly valve of the carbureter (not shown). One end of a rocker 4 bears upon the exposed head of the treadle, the opposite end being engaged by a cam 5 on a member 6 which is revolubly mounted on the base 1.

Lugs 7 and 8 respectively on the base 1 and rocker 4, are matched to receive a pin 9 which establishes a pivotal mounting for the rocker. As the member .6 is revolved upon the base the rocker will be swung on its pivot to either depress the treadle 2 for an increase of speed, or release it for a de crease of speed. Usually the linkage 3 includes a spring somewhere in its connections,

but for the purpose of illustration a spring 10 is shown in the drawing between the floorboards and the head of the treadle so that the return of the treadle upon a release of .the rocker may readily be visualized.

The member 6 is in the shape of a Y. It is the arm 11 of this member that carries the cam 5. The bracket 12 of the cam is slotted at 13 to receive the bolt 14. which. passes through the arm, and upon loosening and tightening the nut on the bolt the cam 5 can be set at any necessary elevation in respectto the arm. The crotch 15 of the member 6 is intended to accommodate the point of the foot of the operator, who, in working his foot either to the right or left will increase or diminish the speed in the manner already indicated.

A hub 16 in the central portion of the member 6 receives a stud 17 that is permanently afiixed to the base 1 in the upstanding posi tion. The member 6 is revoluble upon the stud. A dog 18 is pivoted at 19 near the era tremity of the arm 11. This dog is necessarily loose so that it can rock up and down upon its pivot as the member 6 is revolved from side to side.

The dog rides upon a rack 20 which may either be formed as an integral part of the base 1, or suitably attached thereto when separately formed. The teeth of the rack are preferably rounded so that the dog 18 can readily ride from one to the other when the member 6 is revolved. The action of the dog is automatic, that is to say, no individual attention need be given to the dog in either establishing or departing from its various settings. These settings will be in respect to a scale 21 which is calibrated at 22 in divisions representing speeds of five miles per hour.

This scale is supported above the rack 20 by arms 23 that extend up from the extremities of the rack. The dog 18 works in the space 24 outlined by the rack, scale and arms, and the latter serve to limit the turning movements of the member 6 in each direction. To this end the dog 18 would engage either arm 23 upon turning the member 6 sufficiently far either to the right or left.

The calibrations 22 and the spacing of the teeth of the rack 20 will be in agreement with the speedometer of the motor car. In other Words, the foot control must be calibrated in such a manner that there will be a rack tooth for each speed increase of five miles per hour running from zero to the maximum speed capacity of the motor car and speedometer. The drawing illustrates the range of settings as extending from zero to eighty but obviously this range of settings may be more or less, depending upon the particular motor car.

The operation is readily understood. As shown in Figure 1, the rack 20 has a rounded tooth for each speed increase, and inasmuch as the calibrations 22 commence immediately above the valleys between the teeth, it follows thatthe setting of the dog 18 in any one of the valleys will establish the particular speed indicated by the calibration thereabove.

For example, if the operator desires to travel at the rate of thirty-fivemiles per hour,

he will insert the point of his foot in the crotch 15 and turn the member 6 until the dog 18 stops at the desired calibration. This act of the member 6 tilts the rocker 4 toward the left (assuming that the member 6 was revolved in the counter-clockwise direction) so that the treadle 2 is depressed to an extent sufficient to produce a suflicient opening of the throttle valve through the linkage 3 to set the speed of the car atthe desired point.

The operator may now remove his foot from the crotch. The dog 18 will maintain the given setting, and the speed of the car will be substantially held at thirty-five miles per hour. Of course, hills and dales in the road will affect the speed of the car, a decrease being evident on the former and an increase on the latter, but the average speed will be in agreement with the setting, namely thirtyfive miles per hour. The point of the foot is re-inserted in the crotch 15 for the next movement of the member 6 either to the right or leftfor a further increase in the speed or in a diminution thereof.

While the construction and arrangement of the improved foot control is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A. 'foot control comprising a pivoted rocker engageable at one end with an accelerator treadle, a revoluble member having means engaging the other end of the'rocker, a rack in respect to which said member is revoluble, and a dog carried by said member.

riding over the rack and holding the member in its adjustments to maintain a given speed setting of said treadle. I

V 2. A foot control comprising a pivoted rocker having one end engageable with an.

accelerator treadle, a pivoted member comprising an arm and a crotch to receive the point of a foot by movement of which the member is revolved, a dog carried by the arm, a rack over which the dog rides having an associated scale calibrated in speed settings, and means also carried by the arm engaging the other end of the rocker to tilt the latter and variously depress said treadle in accordance with the adjustment of said member and the setting of the dog upon the rack.

3. A foot control comprising a base, a rack carried b the base having an associated scale calibrated in speed settings, a revoluble member mounted to turn upon the base including an arm with a dog to ride over the rack and a crotch to receive a point of a foot, a rocker pivoted on the base and being engageable at one end with an accelerator treadle, and

means carried by the arm engaging the other end of the rocker. to tilt the latter as said member is turned.

an upstanding rack, an associated scale calibrated in agreement with the rack, a revoluble member carried by the base having a dog riding upon the rack, a rocker pivoted on the base and tilted by said member as said member is turned in either direction thus to actuate an accelerator treadle with which the rocker is engageable, and arms at the extremities of the rocker, supporting the scale and both completing a space in which the dog works and limiting the turning of said member in each direction when engaged by the dog.

5. A foot control comprising a base having a fixed stud, a revoluble member having a hub pivoted upon the stud, a rack carried, by

4. A foot control comprising a base Withthe base, a dog carried by said member riding over the rack as said member is turned upon the stud, a rocker pivoted on the base being engageable at one end with an accelerator treadle, a cam engaging the other end of the rocker, and means by which the cam is adjustably carried by said member to establish an initial relationship of the cam with said end of the rocker.

6. The combination of an accelerator treadle and its linkage connecting it with a throttle valve, a rack calibrated in speed settings, means adjustable over the rack to a desired speed setting, and means acting through said adjustment to in turn actuate the treadle and its linkage for a corresponding setting of the throttle valve.

7. The combination of an accelerator treadle and its linkage connecting it with a throttle valve, means being set to one of a variety of speed settings, and means actuated by virtue of said setting to in turn actuate the treadle and its linkage for a corresponding setting of the throttle valve.

HENRY J. RIES. 

